Seventeen 2017 Movie Review

A Raw and Honest Coming-of-Age Drama That Captures Teenage Girls’ First Love and Complex Emotions

🎥 Film Overview

🎬 Title: Siebzehn (2017) (English title: Seventeen)
🌍 Country: 🇦🇹 Austria
🎞️ Genre: Drama / Youth / Lesbian
⏳ Runtime: 104 min
📢 Director: Monja Art
🖋️ Screenwriter: Monja Art
📺 Platform: [Amazon Prime Video]

👩‍💼 Cast: Elisabeth Wabitsch – Paula, Anaelle Dézsy – Charlotte, Alexandra Schmidt – Lilli

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

💔 The Anxiety and Uncertainty of Being “Seventeen”

The film masterfully depicts the immaturity, volatility of emotion, and constant desire to test boundaries that define the age of seventeen.

✨ The Space Between Unrequited Love and Indecision

At its core, the story revolves around Paula’s unrequited love for her friend Charlotte.

• Layers of Emotion: Charlotte maintains a stable relationship with her boyfriend, Michael, yet she also feels a growing attraction toward Paula. Caught between these two emotional poles, Charlotte remains in a state of indecision—a symbol of teenage sexual fluidity and the fear of making choices.

• Insertion of Fantasy: The director intersperses short fantasy sequences in which Charlotte imagines a life with Paula. These moments visualize Charlotte’s hidden internal conflict and show that the film goes beyond surface observation to explore her deeper psychological layers.

🕸 The Coexistence of Sexual Exploration and Emotional Detachment

Siebzehn portrays teenage sexual exploration with remarkable openness and honesty. One of its defining traits is that same-sex and bisexual relationships are treated as “no big deal”—a natural part of everyday life for these characters.

• Universality and Progressiveness: For these teenagers, sexual orientation is no longer a stigma or heavy burden. They cross the boundaries between heterosexuality and homosexuality with ease. This reflects the reality of Austrian youth culture while offering a progressive portrayal of sexual diversity as something ordinary and unforced.

• Lilli’s Emptiness: Paula’s other friend, Lilli, seeks to fill her emotional void through casual sexual encounters. This subplot highlights how teenage recklessness and the pursuit of pleasure often stem from an underlying inner emptiness.

👭 The Aesthetics of Awkwardness

One of the film’s greatest strengths is its raw and truthful depiction of awkwardness—especially in how teenagers navigate romantic attraction and social tension.

• Clumsy Flirting and Communication: The interactions between Paula, Charlotte, and Tim (who has a crush on Paula) are awkward and unpolished. Through fleeting touches, hesitant gestures, and stilted attempts at flirting, the director captures the inexperience and vulnerability of teenage affection. These moments resonate deeply, reminding the audience of the universal awkwardness of youth.

💡 Direction and the Controversial Ending

• The Aesthetics of Direction: Despite the emotional chaos within the story, director Monja Art maintains a controlled mise-en-scène and visual balance. The slow pacing and soft color palette create a dreamy, introspective tone, emphasizing quiet observation over dramatic outbursts.

• The Ambiguous, Debated Ending: Instead of offering a clear happy ending, the film concludes with an ambiguous and slightly sour aftertaste. Paula makes mistakes in her relationship with Charlotte, and through that experience, she learns and matures. For some viewers, this ending felt authentic and realistic; for others, it was frustratingly somber and incomplete—fueling debate over its emotional impact.

Siebzehn (Seventeen) is far more than a simple teen romance—it is a thoughtful portrait that embraces the pain and confusion of growing up. The film delicately shows how messy yet beautiful teenage emotions can be, blending the sweetness of unrequited love with the bitterness of immature choices. Ultimately, it quietly reminds us that growing up means learning to accept uncertainty and finding one’s own path.

🎯 Personal Rating (Subjective)

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥
⭐ Overall Rating: ★★★☆